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the barbarians zealously practice 7..12. But lest we lead the history astray outside the turning-post, this much concerning the Scythians who are by Bactriana and Sogdiana and the Black river. 7.10.1 It was the tenth day (for we shall return to the affairs of Priscus), and messengers came to the general's tent. Priscus had therefore heard that the barbarian had thrown down the walls of Singedon, and was compelling the people, having left their homes, to make their settlements in the enemy's land.7.10.2 And so Priscus, attributing nothing to delay, sailed the river and put in at the island of Singa; this has its foundation upon the stream of the Ister, and it is thirty stades distant from the city of Singedon. 7.10.3 So Priscus, having deployed his forces around the island, and having brought up fast-sailing ships, which the multitude is accustomed to call dromons, he arrived at Constantiola. In these places, indeed, the general, having met with the Khagan, entered into discussions with the barbarian concerning 7.10.4 Singedon. And indeed the barbarian, sitting upon the bank of the river, was providing the responses, while Priscus, having embarked on the ship, held the conference. They say, therefore, that the Khagan began the conversation, 7.10.5 and said to Priscus: "What have you to do, O Romans, with my land? Why do you stretch your feet further than is proper? The Ister is foreign to you, its current hostile. We acquired this by arms; we enslaved this with the spear. Away with this absurdity, O Priscus. Do not destroy a peace procured for you by many gifts. Respect the treaties, have regard for the security of the oaths. 7.10.6 Let good counsel lead the enterprise, let us not deliberate on the advantage of the undertaking of things after suffering. Counsel comes before the undertaking. You wrong the situation with your rashness. The enterprise first harmed the one who counselled badly. 7.10.7 You steal the war, general. You have adulterated peace and battle-array, making libations as a friend and engaging as an enemy. Either abandon one of the two, therefore, or do not disturb the quiet." 7.10.8 And the barbarian also said these things verbatim: "May God judge between the Khagan and between Maurice the emperor. May retribution from God one day be sought." 7.11.1 The story is that Priscus, in the manner of a reply, addressed these things to the Khagan: "You wrong the city of Singedon, O man. Why, having torn down the walls, do you consign it to wretched settlements? Though a tyrant, you accuse as one who is wronged. Though doing violence, 7.11.2 you noise it about that you are being insulted by the Romans. Let a people that has suffered misfortune rest. Keep away from a city, which the waves of misfortunes wash over. Pity her who has been sacked many times by you. Set limits to your greed; make for it a frontier. Teach it to philosophize on measure; command that it will stop at some point. I think many worlds would not suffice 7.11.3 for its desire. An indefinite will does not receive unshakable power. Nothing insatiable is stable. That which is not weighed by measure is not by nature to be possessed. The infinite is 7.11.4 unattainable. The incompatible is subject to sedition. Lay a foundation for your love, master the uncontrollable with satiety. An insatiable eye is always nursing some new thing. Events are measured out against men in turn, the things of fortune echo the turns of fate. Nothing has been established more fluid than happiness. Victory glories in its wing, and the feet of triumphs slip. The nature 7.11.5 of trophies is not immortal. Today you see the day smiling, both rose-like and saffron-colored and, so to speak, wholly bright and shining through. Tomorrow you will see this very day both sullen and ill-clad, watered by much mist, and blackened by systems of clouds, in a word, to unseemliness." 7.11.6 Therefore the Khagan, cutting short the words in anger, threatened to destroy many cities. So the barbarian, leaving his seat, returned to his own tent; but Priscus, Gouduin

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φιλοτίμως ἀσκοῦσιν 7..12 οἱ βάρβαροι. ἵνα δὲ μὴ ἔξω τῆς νύσσης τὴν ἱστορίαν παροδηγήσωμεν, μέχρι τούτων περὶ τῶν Σκυθῶν τῶν πρὸς τῇ Βακτριανῇ καὶ Σογδοανῇ καὶ τῷ Μέλανι ποταμῷ. 7.10.1 ∆εκάτη δὲ ἡμέρα (πρὸς γὰρ τὰ περὶ Πρίσκον παλινδρομήσομεν), καὶ ἄγγελοι εἰς τὸ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ σκηνοπήγιον γίνονται. ἠκηκόει τοίνυν ὁ Πρίσκος τὰ τείχη καταβαλεῖν τῆς Σιγγηδόνος τὸν βάρβαρον, καταναγκάζειν τε τοὺς λαοὺς τὰ οἴκοι καταλιπόντας εἰς τὴν πολεμίαν τὰς ἀποικίας ποιήσα7.10.2 σθαι. καὶ οὖν ὁ Πρίσκος μηδὲν τῇ ἀναβολῇ ἀναθείς, τὸν ποταμὸν ναυτιλλόμενος εἰς Σιγγὰν τὴν νῆσον ἐλλιμενίζεται· αὕτη δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ ῥεῖθρον τοῦ ῎Ιστρου ἔχει τὴν ἵδρυσιν, ἀπῴκισται δὲ 7.10.3 Σιγγηδόνος τῆς πόλεως σημεῖα τριάκοντα. ὁ μὲν οὖν Πρίσκος τῇ νήσῳ τὰς δυνάμεις περιβαλών, ταχυναυτούσας ὁλκάδας παραστησάμενος, ἃς δρόμωνας εἴωθεν ὀνομάζειν τὸ πλῆθος, ἐπὶ τὰ Κωνσταντίολα παραγίνεται. ἐν τούτοις δῆτα τοῖς χώροις ἐντετυχηκὼς τῷ Χαγάνῳ εἰς λόγους γίνεται περὶ τῆς 7.10.4 Σιγγηδόνος ὁ στρατηγὸς πρὸς τὸν βάρβαρον. καὶ δῆτα ὁ βάρβαρος ἐπὶ τῆς ὄχθης τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐφιζάνων τὰς ἀποκρίσεις παρείχετο, ὁ δὲ Πρίσκος ἐπιβεβηκὼς τῆς ὁλκάδος τῆς ἐντεύξεως εἴχετο. φασὶ τοιγαροῦν τῆς διαλέξεως τὸν 7.10.5 Χαγάνον ἀπάρξασθαι, εἰπεῖν δὲ τῷ Πρίσκῳ· "τί ὑμῖν, ὦ ῾Ρωμαῖοι, καὶ τῇ γῇ τῇ ἐμῇ; τί περαιτέρω τοῦ πρέποντος πόδας ἐκτείνετε; ξένος ὁ ῎Ιστρος ὑμῖν, τὸ ῥόθιον τούτου πολέμιον. ὅπλοις ἐκτησάμεθα τοῦτον· τῷ δόρατι τοῦτον ἐδουλωσάμεθα. ἄπαγε τῆς ἀτοπίας, ὦ Πρίσκε. μὴ διαλύσῃς ἡσυχίαν δώροις ὑμῖν πραγματευθεῖσαν πολλοῖς. αἰδέσθητι τὰς σπονδάς, δυσωπήθητι τὴν τῶν ὅρκων ἀσφάλειαν. 7.10.6 ἡγείσθω εὐβουλία τῆς ἐγχειρήσεως, τὸ συνοῖσον τῆς ἐπιβολῆς τῶν πραγμάτων μὴ μετὰ τὸ παθεῖν βουλευσώμεθα. πρὸ τῆς ἐπιβολῆς ἡ βουλή. ἀδικεῖς τῇ προπετείᾳ τὰ πράγματα. τὸν κακῶς βουλευσάμενον πρῶτον ἡ ἐγχείρησις ἔβλαψεν. 7.10.7 κλέπτεις τὸν πόλεμον, στρατηγέ. εἰρήνην ἐνόθευσας καὶ παράταξιν, ὡς φίλος σπενδόμενος καὶ ὡς ἐχθρὸς συμπλεκόμενος. ἢ θάτερον τοίνυν ἀπόλειπε, ἢ τὴν ἠρεμίαν μὴ 7.10.8 τάραττε." ἔφησε δὲ καὶ ταῦτα ὁ βάρβαρος ἐπὶ λέξεως· "κρίναι ὁ θεὸς ἀναμέσον Χαγάνου καὶ ἀναμέσον Μαυρικίου τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος. ἡ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ποτε ἐκζητήσοι ἀντίδοσις." 7.11.1 λόγος δὲ Πρίσκον ἐν ἀντιθέσεως μοίρᾳ ταῦτα προσειπεῖν τῷ Χαγάνῳ· "ἀδικεῖς Σιγγηδόνα τὴν πόλιν, ὦ ἄνθρωπε. τί τὰ τείχη καθελὼν πρὸς ἀποικίας αὐτὴν δυστυχεῖς ἐπιτείνεις; τυραννῶν ὡς ἀδικούμενος ἐγκαλεῖς. βιαζό7.11.2 μενος ἐπηρεάζεσθαι ὑπὸ ῾Ρωμαίων περιθρυλεῖς. ἔασον ἠρεμεῖν λαὸν δυστυχήσαντα. ἀπόσχου πόλεως, ᾗ συμφορῶν περικυμαίνουσι κλύδωνες. ἐλέησον τὴν πολλάκις ὑπὸ σοῦ πορθηθεῖσαν. ἐπίθες τῇ πλεονεξίᾳ καὶ ὅρους· ποίησον αὐτῇ καὶ μεταίχμιον. δίδαξον αὐτὴν φιλοσοφῆσαι τὸ μέτρον· μέχρι τινὸς σταθήσεσθαι πρόσταξον. οἶμαι πολλοὺς κόσμους αὐτῇ 7.11.3 μὴ ἐξαρκεῖν πρὸς τὴν ἔφεσιν. ἀόριστον βούλημα οὐ λαμβάνει κράτος ἀσάλευτον. οὐδὲν ἀκόρεστον πάγιον. τὸ μὴ μέτρῳ ταλαντευόμενον οὐδὲ σφετερίζεσθαι πέφυκεν. ἀνεπίκτητόν 7.11.4 ἐστι τὸ ἄπειρον. καταστασιάζεται τὸ ἀσύμβατον. ἐπίθου κρηπῖδα τῷ ἔρωτι, μεθόδευσον τῷ κόρῳ τὸ ἄσχετον. ἄπληστος ὀφθαλμὸς ἀεί τι καινὸν νοσηλεύεται. ἀντιμετρεῖται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ πράγματα, τὰ τῆς τύχης ἀντηχεῖ ταῖς τροπαῖς. οὐδὲν εὐδαιμονίας καθέστηκε ῥευστικώτερον. ἡ νίκη κομᾷ τῷ πτερῷ, καὶ θριάμβων ὀλισθαίνουσι πόδες. οὐκ ἔστι 7.11.5 τροπαίων φύσις ἀθάνατος. σήμερον ἐπιγελῶσαν τὴν ἡμέραν ὁρᾷς ῥοδοειδῆ τε καὶ κροκινίζουσαν καὶ ὅλην ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν φωτεινὴν καὶ διαλάμπουσαν. αὔριον ὄψῃ ταύτην αὐτὴν σκυθρωπὸν ὁμοῦ καὶ δυσείμονα, ἀχλύϊ καταρδευομένην πολλῇ, καὶ ἀπὸ συστημάτων νεφῶν μελαινομένην συλλήβδην εἰπεῖν πρὸς ἀπρέπειαν." 7.11.6 Θυμῷ τοιγαροῦν διακόψας ὁ Χαγάνος τὰ ῥήματα πολλὰς καθαιρήσειν προσηπείλησε πόλεις. ὁ μὲν οὖν βάρβαρος τὴν καθέδραν ἀπολιπὼν πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σκηνὴν ἐπανέζευξεν· ὁ δὲ Πρίσκος τὸν Γούδουϊν